I use a Merida Speeder T1 for commuting, I am considering bullhorns but don't know whether they are suitable and whether or not the brakes and gears would fit on properly, although it looks like they should.

I'm just trying to give myself a more 'roadbike' style of riding without going as far as purchasing a roadbike ... if that makes sense!

I also can't afford to change all the running gear so I need to retain the current Shimano setup.

Anyone changed bars on a similar bike? What did you change to and was it an improvement?

I have some bar ends fitted, but I think that the fact that they are somewhat wider placed than a set of drop bars is one of the problems, so maybe a narrower set of bars is one of the things I need to consider.

I don't really like the idea of aerobars, I think fitting the brakes and gear levers in a safe position could be a problem.

I thought bullhorns would work quite well on my drop bar tourer since I use all of the top of the bar including the bend, but rarely (almost never) use the drops. I've never much liked flats bars, but I have built a flat bar tourer since and compromised by fitting Ergon grips with an intergrated bar end extension, however I'm still in two minds about how much I really like them.

The bullhorn shape is pretty much identical to the tops of drop bars while the upswept ends are similar in position to the pistol grip type levers. I bought a set of Nitto bullhorns, but have never got around to fitting them.

There were some unresolved issues with the controls that I didn't get around to finding the answers for, but recently I saw a bike that used bullhorns with TT style bar-end brake levers and bar-end Dura-Ace shifters mounted on Paul Thumbies in what I thought a simple and elegant solution. I took a photo of the setup, and I will upload it when I get home.

Last edited by RonK on Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

Are you looking to get more comfortable or get more aero ? Plenty of options for getting more comfortable here.

The basic way to get more aero is to reduce the area of your body exposed to the wind by getting more horizontal. They usual way to do that is to lower the position of your hands, by lowering the stem and or fitting drop bars. Aero bars, bull horns, & to some extent bar ends work by putting your hands further forward, causing you to stretch out & thereby lower your body.

To put it bluntly though while you might be able to find a creative way to fit the flat bar integrated brake & shifters onto the bars, you are not going to be able to put them in a place where it is conveneient to use them whilst in the drops. SImilarly with bullhorns - they are not going to work if placed on the horns & if you place them on the horizontal, they will be away from where you want to position your hands.

find_bruce wrote:The basic way to get more aero is to reduce the area of your body exposed to the wind by getting more horizontal. They usual way to do that is to lower the position of your hands, by lowering the stem and or fitting drop bars.

Aero flat bar

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

I have some bar ends fitted, but I think that the fact that they are somewhat wider placed than a set of drop bars is one of the problems, so maybe a narrower set of bars is one of the things I need to consider.

Why couldn't you cut your bars so the ends are only shoulder wide, Chillibones?

Take care when buying bullhorns as to the width, a lot of the modern bars are made for a narrowed shoulder 'Superman or triathlon style. You should also consider butterfly (or called trekking) bars, here's an examplehttp://www.sjscycles.co.uk/raleigh-trekking-comfort-handlebars-silver-prod21511/Although these bars are also a little lacking in width and perhaps stiffness they might be more comfortable.